Fluidtight watch case



Nov. 15, 1960 E. PIQUEREZ 2,959,911

FLUIDTIGHT WATCH CASE Filed Nov. 1, 1955 F 25 I 1 s 21 30 4 z 27 I F/G.2 22 x 28 31 United States Patent FLUIDTIGI-IT WATCH CASE Ervin Piquerez, Bassecourt (Canton of Bern), Switzerland Filed Nov. 1, 1955, Ser. No. 544,332

Claims priority, application Switzerland Nov. 22, 1954 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-90) My invention has for its object a fluidtight watch case including a bottom the outer flange of which is fluidtightly urged against the body of the case while a threaded ring is provided for assembling the said bottom with the said body.

According to my invention, elastic means are compressed axially between an annular stop on the threaded ring screwed into one component of the case, and a second stop rigid with another component of the case, the arrangement being such that the said elastic means produce the desired fluidtight engagement between the bottom and the body of the case.

I have illustrated by way of example in accompanying drawing two preferred embodiments of my invention.

In said drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are partial diametrical cross-sections of each of the said embodiments respectively;

Fig. 3 illustrates in detail the elastic means in partly sectional elevational view.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the watch case includes a body or peripheral section carrying, inside an annular groove 2 formed therein, a packing 3. The said body is radially perforated at 4 and inside the said perforation is driven a sleeve or barrel 5 inside which is fitted a winding-up stern which is not illustrated. An assembling ring 6 provided with a tapped section 7 is fitted in the body 1 inside which it is adapted to be shifted axially. The ring 6 is, however, held in position against upward shifting by a crimped part 8 formed inside the case body.

The bottom 9 of the case is provided with an outer flange 10 urged against the packing 3 while an upstanding cylindrical wall 11 coaxially rigid with the bottom is outwardly threaded at 12 for engagement with the tapping 7 of the ring. A step 13 formed round the outer periphery of the ring 6 forms a first axial stop or abutment for an annular radially corrugated spring 14 engaging also a further annular stop or abutment 15 formed on the inner periphery of the case body.

When the bottom 9 of the case is screwed through its cylindrical wall 11 into the tapped section 7 of the ring 6 so as to prevent the latter from turning inside the case, the distance separating the stops 13 and 15 between which the spring 14 is compressed, becomes smaller. The ring 6 is thereby drawn downwardly so that the axial compression to which the spring 14 is subjected increases and, consequently, starting from a predetermined moment, the flange 10 on the bottom gradually compresses the packing 3. By reason of the presence of the uniformly distributed transverse corrugations of the spring 14, it is possible to obtain a gradual, uniform and constant application of the bottom 1 against the packing 3, which ensures permanent fluidtightness.

In the second embodiment (Fig. 2), the body of the watch case is again provided with an annular groove 21 housing a packing 22 held in position by the outer flange 23 on the case bottom 24. The said bottom is provided with an upstanding cylindrical wall 25 to which is outwardly secured a collar-shaped stop 26 which serves for urging axially a corrugated annular spring 14 against a second stop 27 constituted by the inner flange of an assembling ring 28. The latter is screwed inside a tapped section 30 of the case body 20. The ring 28 turns in unison with the bottom 24 of the case as provided by the pins 31 only one of which is illustrated; however, the

connection between the bottom 24 and the assembling ring 28 provides a slight axial clearance between the said parts by reason of the fact that the pins 31 are slidingly fitted in blind openings 32 the depth of which is sufiicient to allow such an axial clearance. As a consequence of this arrangement, the corrugated annular spring urges the bottom 24 upwardly in the direction of the arrow F-l by acting on the collar-shaped stop 26 which leads to making the flange 23 exert a pressure on the packing 22. By reason of the presence of equidistant corrugations on the spring 14, the said pressure is uniform and constant.

It is possible to substitute for the corrugated annular spring 14 other elastic means held under compressed conditions between an annular axial stop provided on the assembling ring and a second stop formed either on the case body or on the case bottom or even on another part of the case.

Obviously, the packings 3 and 22 are not essential since the desired fluidtightness between the bottom and the case body may be obtained through direct contact between the said parts without any packing therebetween.

What I claim is:

1. In a fluidtight watch case, the combination of two case components; a bottom section including an upstanding outwardly threaded annular projection and an upwardly facing peripheral section and a case band on the outside of said annular projection, said case band being provided inwardly with an upwardly directed annular surface in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the case and a downwardly directed annular peripheral section, an annular packing fitted between the peripheral section of the upper surface of the bottom section and the lower periphery of the case band, a tapped ring threadedly engaging the upstanding annular projection of the bottom section and provided with an outer step having an annular downwardly directed surface coaxial with the case and facing the upwardly directed surface on the case band and annular elastic means fitted between the last mentioned annular surfaces and urging the case band into fluidtight engagement with the bottom section with the interposition of the annular packing.

2. In a fluidtight watch case, the combination of a bottom section including a peripheral flange having an annular surface in a plane perpendicular to the axis and facing upwardly, a case band fluidtightly engaging said upper surface of the peripheral flange and provided with a lower inner flange having an upwardly directed surface, an upstanding annular projection rigid with the bottom section and provided with a thread coaxial with the case and facing the inner surface of the case band, a rigid assembling ring fitted inside the case band with a slight axial clearance and provided with a peripheral shoulder facing downwardly, the lower surface of which faces the upper surface of the inner flange of the case band, a tapped annular section coaxially rigid with the lower end of the assembling ring and threadedly engaging the said threaded projection, and an annular spring fitted between the shoulder on the assembling ring and the upper surface on the flange of the case band.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 258,776 Switzerland May 16, 1949 273,739 Switzerland May 16, 1951 280,886 Switzerland May 16, 1952 286,922 Switzerland Mar. 2, 1953 297,482 Switzerland June 1, 1954 

